Like so many fund-raisers do, Savor the Grape started small and grew to epic proportions. This year, a faltering economy could have been blamed for a smaller attendance and lesser profit.
Only thing, it didn’t happen that way.
Morton’s in the DTC was packed to the rafters with athletes and others who came to help raise upwards of $60,000 for the Darrent Williams Memorial Teen Center that’s part of the Denver Broncos branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver.
Hosts were two of Williams’ best friends and former teammates, John Lynch and Champ Bailey. They were joined by former Bronco Rod Smith and current players Daniel Graham, Brandon Marshall, Boss Bailey, Hamza Abdullah, Ryan Torain, Mike Leach, Nate Jackson and Ebenezer Ekuban.
A few Denver Nuggets got into the act, too: Carmelo Anthony, J.R. Smith and Dahntay Jones.
All of which had to be very heart-warming for Williams’ mom, Rosalind, who had flown in from her home in Ft. Worth to attend.
Guests enjoyed a buffet that included all of Morton’s signature dishes: freshly shucked oysters, giant prawns, sliced filet mignon fresh from the grill. Jordan, Opus One and other top-shelf wines, courtesy of Republic National Distributing, also were poured.
A live auction featured items unique to the local fund-raising scene.
Dinner with “The Guys,” snapped by by Curtis Frank, was a package that included dinner you and seven others in the Morton’s Boardroom with Champ Bailey and Domonique Foxworth. John Lynch and Hamza Abdullah were high bidders fon two four-course Morton’s dinners for six, prepared by Chef Eric Pruitt at the winner’s home and served by Morton’s staff.
Janco Partners chief executive Jan Helen will be enjoying A Foursome with 47: a round of golf at the private Sanctuary course with Pro Bowl Safety John Lynch.
The Darrent Williams Memorial Teen Center opened May 29 at the Denver Broncos Boys & Girls Club in Denver’s Montbello neighborhood. The center provides a gathering place for youths ages 13–18, allowing them to socialize, play video games, work on homework, plan and implement service projects, and avoid unsafe activities and influences.
CBS 4 sports anchor Vic Lombardi served as emcee and auctioneer.
The mission of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver is to inspire and enable young people, especially those from disadvantaged circumstances, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible, and caring citizens. Since 1961, Boys & Girls Club of Metro Denver has been helping kids from tough neighborhoods stay out of trouble, stay in school, and succeed in life. Not just after school hangouts, the Clubs are places where young people come to learn, do homework, develop social skills, express themselves creatively, and participate in sports. Learn more at www.bgcmd.org.
2008 marks Morton’s 30th anniversary, and the company will celebrate by partnering with the Make A Wish Foundation in its “30 Wishes for 30 Years” national campaign.

Pictures taken at Savor the Grape can be viewed at denverpost.com/seengallery

Denver Post Society Editor Joanne Davidson can be reached at 303-809-1314 or jdavidson@denverpost.com

From left: Champ Bailey, Rosalind Williams, John Arigoni and John Lynch. Photo by Steve Peterson/Special to The Denver Post

Study after study has shown that when it comes to charitable fundraisers, Denver has more per capita than any comparably sized city in the nation. Joanne Davidson has been covering them for The Denver Post since 1985, coming here from her native California where she'd spent the previous seven years as San Francisco bureau chief for U.S. News & World Report magazine.